Teen Titans Challenges: The Robin
by Linzerj
Summary: A response to challenges for Robin by Nikevi. Part 1: Unmasked: feat. OC. Part 2: Flashback: feat. Batman! Part 3: Remembrance. Part 4: Unveiled. Part 5: Comfort. Rated T because I'm paranoid. If you read, please ignore any and all weirdness, thanks!
1. Part 1: Unmasked

A response to the challenges by Nikevi. I'm going to attempt to do all three. This is the first one, where Robin is unmasked by his friends.

Please note that this includes my OC, Liz/Storm, from a story I still have to write and post. But, basically, she's blind in one eye. If you don't like OCs, I suggest you leave now.

Disclaimer: I don't own Teen Titans.

* * *

_**The Robin and the Snake**_

_Unmasked_

_*Note: Includes my OC Liz/Storm from a story I have yet to write and post*_

"G'night, guys," Robin mumbled as he left the Ops center, stifling a yawn. "Wake me if anything happens…"

The other Titans silently watched him leave. As soon as the door closed behind their fearless leader, the Titans got into a huddle.

"I still think that unmasking Robin is a bad idea," Raven mumbled.

Liz nodded. "Everyone has their secrets, like me."

"Yeah, but you told us your secrets, about how you got your powers and stuff," Beast Boy pointed out. "Raven told us about her father, too. Heck, if you guys wanted, I'd tell you my past! …Maybe…"

Cyborg rolled his eyes – er, eye. "C'mon, ya'll, just one little peek!"

"Yes, please," Starfire murmured. "I wish to know who Robin really is."

"…Fine, let's go, then," Liz mumbled. The five got up and headed for the door.

Once they reached Robin's room, Cyborg punched in the pass code, and the door opened to reveal a sleeping Robin.

"Great, he even sleeps with his mask on," Beast Boy mumbled.

"Come, friends," Starfire whispered, floating towards Robin. Slowly and carefully, she pried the mask off of his face.

Nothing was wrong with his face, Liz noted. There was no scar or anything. She absently touched her left eye, where faint little scars still remained, a horrible souvenir from her first battle after getting her powers, along with blindness in that eye.

"Come on, then, let's go," Raven hissed. They headed towards Robin's door…

…When Beast Boy tripped over a pile of bird-a-rangs in the middle of the floor. The startled changeling let out a small yelp. Everyone's eyes widened, especially when they heard Robin sit up in his bed.

"Guys?" A moment's pause, and then, "Guys, what did you – you took off my mask?"

"Robin, we are sorry," Starfire murmured as she and the others slowly turned around to face the Boy Wonder. "We were merely curious…"

The Tamaranean trailed off as she and the others saw Robin's eyes. One of them – the right one – was a beautiful, dark blue-gray. The other one – his left eye – was completely different. It was a dull, misty blue-gray, and the pupil was a dark gray.

"Robin…" Starfire whispered, dropping the mask that was still in her hands. "What…?"

Robin sighed. "I suppose…you're curious now, aren't you?" The others nodded, and the Boy Wonder took a deep breath.

"I was working in Gotham with Batman a few years back," he began, "and one night I decided to go to the movies as my real self, Dick Grayson. When I was there, the Joker attacked. I stayed behind to fight him, but he…I don't really remember much of it, actually. I heard Batman scream my name when the Joker…in the middle of the fight, one of his weapons…poked me in the eye. The doctors managed to save my eye, but I was still blind…"

Starfire clutched her hands over her heart. "Robin, I am so sorry…"

Beast Boy and Cyborg had their heads bowed in sorrow, and even Raven looked like she might shed a few tears. Liz, however, merely stared at Robin.

"…Look, it's getting late, and we should all get back to bed," Robin said, returning to his own bed. "Goodnight."

Without another word, Raven, Beast Boy, and Cyborg left Robin's room. Starfire cast one last, loving glance at Robin before following her friends. Liz, however, remained behind.

"I know how you feel, Robin," she said after a moment of silence. "You don't have to be ashamed of yourself because of an accident."

Robin said nothing, causing Liz to frown. "Look at me, Robin! I've got the same thing wrong with me! I get into a fight with a guy who's too strong for me, I get clawed in the eye, and I'm blind! You're fighting your arch-enemy, he manages to poke you in the eye, and you're blind, too!" The Boy Wonder remained silent, and Liz gave it one more shot.

"Even if you think you're alone in this crazy world, Robin…you're really not. Just remember that…and know that, no matter what, Robin, we're your friends. You can trust us with anything."

Liz turned to exit her leader's room. As she was about to step out of the room, she heard a small, "Thank you," from Robin.

Liz smiled softly. "You're welcome." And she closed the door and made her way to her own room.

* * *

I hope you guys enjoyed it! Just a few quick things I forgot to mention before:

1) This is not a Liz/Robin pairing, just a friendship thing-a-ma-bob. Liz is with Lightning (from _Forces of Nature_), and I just love Rob/Star.

2) The title - _The Robin and the Snake_ - refers to the animals I associate to each Titan/OC. Liz is like a snake - cunning and sneaky - and therefore her animal is a snake. Robin is (of course) a robin, Raven is (duh) a raven, Starfire is a tiger, Cyborg is a bear, and Beast Boy is a wolf.

3) Please just ignore the fact that you know nothing about Liz and enjoy the story!

Nikevi, I hope you enjoyed this, as well as anyone else who took the time to look at it! I might put up other one-shots for the other two challenges by Nikevi, too, so keep watch! :)

~Linzerj


	2. Part 2: Flashback

Here's the second one of the Teen Titans Challenges! This one doesn't include any OCs, so OC haters can return now, but Robin haters should still flee!

A response to the challenges by Nikevi. I'm going to attempt to do all three. This is the second one, where Batman comes to visit Robin in Jump.

PLEASE: Ignore the fact that I know next to nothing about Batman. Sorry if anything seems a little too OOC.

Disclaimer: I don't own Teen Titans. I also don't own Batman.

* * *

_**The Robin and the Bat**_

_Flashback_

A horrible shriek came from Plasmus as civilians in front of him ran in terror. The goo monster sliced open a tank of acid and began to gulp it down - until a birdarang flew by, slicing off a bit of his side. He let out another scream.

Robin, who was currently riding on the back of Beast Boy (who was in pteradactyl form) leapt off of the shapeshifter, bo-staff at the ready, as Starfire launched Cyborg towards Plasmus, firing off an eyebeam as she did so. Raven, the last Titan on the scene, telekinetically picked up and threw multiple street lights at the goo monster.

All the Titans landed together for a moment, glaring at their foe. "Plasmus!" Robin shouted, "Stand down!"

Their response was yet another screech as Plasmus threw the tanker at them, causing the Titans to leap apart. Robin shouted his signature phrase: "Titans, GO!"

A blue sonic beam shot at Plasmus, accompanied by green starbots from above. More street lights encased in black energy flew at the goo monster, now joined by cars and the occasional mailboxes. The firing ceased for a moment, however, as a disc thrown by Robin caused Plasmus to become frozen in ice. Taking a chance, Beast Boy smashed through the ice as a T-Rex, turning back to stomp on as much as he could. He shifted back to human, looking hopefully at the ice shards...

But the purply goo shot out, reforming into Plasmus. The monster gave another screech -

- But the cold glint of something that looked like a birdarang sliced straight through him. The hole, of course, closed in a matter of seconds, but Plasmus's attention was momentarily diverted from the Titans - and that was really all they needed.

"Raven, now!"

"_Azarath, Metrion, ZINTHOS!_" Raven chanted her signature mantra as she floated Indian-style in the air. Her figure glowed for a moment, then a black version of her - her soul-self - left her body and flew into Plasmus. The goo monster bulged from the inside before exploding, the now-sleeping human form of Plasmus collapsing onto the street. Raven's soul-self reentered her body, and the half-demoness floated back down to the ground to join her teammates.

"Seriously, now that we know Raven just has to do that to beat Plasmus, it's getting easier to defeat him," Beast Boy commented to the others. Robin, however, was not listening. He was looking in the direction the birdarang-like object had come from.

"Robin?" Starfire's voice cut off his thoughts. "What-?"

"I'm trying to see who threw that," Robin said before she finished asking. "That weapon seemed familiar..."

"Well, you'd have a horrible memory if it didn't seem familiar," a voice said. A shadowy figure dropped down in front of them, and the Titans gasped. Robin's eyes narrowed a bit as Beast Boy murmured, "No way..."

Standing in front of them with a cocky grin was the Dark Knight, the Caped Crusader, Gotham's greatest detective and superhero - Batman.

* * *

"Batman, can I have your autograph, please, please, _pleeeaaassseee?" _was the first thing Beast Boy said once everyone was in the Ops room of Titans Tower.

"Uuh..." was Batman's answer as he raised an eyebrow at the green teen. Beast Boy was holding out a pen and a picture of him (don't ask where he got that from - I don't know). Sighing, Batman signed it, not wanting to make a bad impression to Robin's teammates. Of course, he could have done without the fangirlish squeal from Beast Boy after he gave the shapeshifter his autograph.

"So, why are you in Jump?" Robin half-asked, half-snarled. Batman narrowed his eyes behind his mask.

"Robin..." Batman growled. Robin sighed.

"Fine...Hey, Batman, how's it going?" Robin asked half-heartedly.

"I'm fine, Robin, thanks for asking," Batman replied, a bit of sarcasm in his voice.

"Please, Man of Bats, what brings you to the City of Jump?" Starfire asked, flying up in front of the Dark Knight. Batman cocked an eyebrow.

"Uh-?"

"She said 'what brings you to Jump City, Batman?'" Raven translated. Starfire blushed.

"Oh, yes... I am Princess Koriand'r, Starfire in your language, and I am from the planet Tamaran, and your ways and langauge are still a bit...strange to me," Starfire explained, still blushing. Batman sighed.

"It's fine...Starfire..." the Caped Crusader said, forcing himself to sound nice. Then he turned back to Robin. "So, how's your team been?"

"We're doing fine," Robin growled. "After all the Titans from around the world joined up and defeated the Brotherhood of Evil, not much has been happening."

"Unless you count Tokyo, where you and Starfire finally hooked up," Cyborg taunted. The half-robot suddenly turned to Beast Boy.

"Yo, BB, you still owe me five more bucks from our bet."

Beast Boy grumbled to himself as he dug out five dollars from his pocket and slapped into Cyborg's waiting hand. Raven rolled her eyes and Robin shook his head, muttering "Oi." The Boy Wonder then turned back to his former mentor.

"So...how's it going in Gotham?" Robin asked. "How's the Joker, Scarecrow, Clayface...?"

"All in Arkham, at the moment," Batman said. Robin nodded, mumbling, "That's good."

There was an awkward silence that fell over the tower. Raven was reading her book, oblivious. Starfire's emerald eyes darted around the room, trying to find a distraction. Beast Boy had shifted into a kitten and had decided to curl up besides Raven on the couch. Cyborg began playing video games like Tetris Pop on his arm.

"So...uh...did you know that Aqualad, Speedy, Kid Flash, and Wonder Girl are all Titans, too?" Robin asked.

"Yeah, yeah, I've heard," Batman mumbled. "Flash is pretty proud, though he still can't believe Wally got that Jinx girl to reform...Wonder Woman's been visiting Donna every now and then, and Aquaman's seen Garth when the kid visits Atlantis. Green Arrow's been checking in on Roy every once in a while, too."

Robin nodded, but Starfire, who had listened in, frowned.

"Roy? Wally? Who are they?" the princess asked.

"Er...Roy is Speedy's real name, and Wally is Kid Flash's real name," Robin explained awkwardly. "Garth is Aqualad's real name, and Donna is Wonder Girl's real name."

"Just like BB's real name is Garfield!" Cyborg piped up, causing Beast Boy, who was back in human form, to turn a weird red-brown from his blush.

"So? I found out your real name is Victor," Beast Boy muttered. Raven sighed, shaking her head and closing her book.

"...Why are we having this conversation again?"

Her response was a chorus of shrugs from the other Titans. The empath sighed again, reopening her book. "Wonderful..."

"What is your real name, Robin?" Starfire innocently asked her boyfriend. The Boy Wonder paled.

"Uh..."

This was going to be an awkward night.

* * *

Batman was used to going without sleep, and was content with just sitting on the rooftop in the middle of the night, looking out over the city for any signs of crime.

"Nice up here, huh?" a familiar voice asked. Bruce turned to find Robin walking out onto the roof without his mask, revealing his startling blue eyes.

"I love it up here," Robin murmured, sitting down next to his old mentor. "It's really nice at night, because you can see the stars, but sunrise and sunset are beautiful to watch, too."

Batman nodded. "It is...nice up here," the Dark Knight said awkwardly.

"So...you really came all this way...just to check on me?" Robin asked.

Bruce sighed. "Dick...yeah."

"...Why?"

"...I heard about what happened between you and Deathstroke," Batman sighed. "And then...I heard you fought Trigon, too...and Brother Blood, even the Brotherhood of Evil...and I just...wanted to make sure my old apprentice was...OK."

"I'm fine, Bruce," Robin said, glancing at his mentor. "I really like my team...they're all so great...especially Starfire..."

Bruce frowned a bit at the way Dick's eyes became misty and dreamy when he mentioned the alien princess Starfire. He had warned Dick that falling in love while in the hero business, even with another hero, could be risky.

"I'm actually...in a way...I'm glad I left," Dick continued softly. The raven-haired boy cast a glance up at Bruce, adding, "I still miss the good old times, though...in the Bat Cave, you, me, and Alfred..."

Bruce managed a small smile. "We miss you two, Dick," the Caped Crusader murmured. "But if you're happy...then my work is done."

"Wait...you're leaving already?" Robin asked, standing up a second after Batman.

"Mm...nah," Batman mused. "For once, crime's been pretty slow in Gotham - the Underground hasn't been stirring up trouble either, as basically all of them are in Arkham."

Robin broke into a grin. "Well, we could use a bit of help around here..."

"Yeah, I noticed," Batman said, a smirk forming on his face. "So...I'll stay for a few days until I'm needed back in Gotham."

Dick smiled up at his mentor and guardian. "Thanks, Bruce," the Boy Wonder said. "Thanks...for everything."

* * *

It was getting a little long, so I leave you there! Muahaha!

Hope this wasn't to...slashy. It wasn't supposed to be if it was - it was supposed to be more of a friendshipper-type thing.

I probably got the Batman/Gotham City stuff wrong, but oh well!

Again, a response to Nikevi's Robin Challenges thing. This is #2. Please remember that I own nothing!


	3. Part 3: Remembrance

The next installment of the Teen Titans challenges!

A response to the challenges by Nikevi. This is actually the third one, where Robin is caught swinging on the trapeeze early in the morning. There will be a fourth one, where the Titans go to the circus - but that's next. :3

There are no OCs in here - the OC thing was just the first one.

This is BB/Rob, but in a friendshipper way, not in any way meant to be romantic. Just warning you. This story...dives into their pasts a little bit as well. You can feel free to skip over those paragraphs if you already know their pasts - and no, I did not make their pasts up.

Disclaimer: I don't own Teen Titans.

* * *

_**The Robin and the Wolf**_

_Remembrance_

Normally, seeing a black-haired, blue-eyed teenage boy in a gym wasn't unusual. However, the fact that said boy was swinging around on the trapeze was a little...strange. But the fact that this was in the gym of Titans Tower made it all even stranger.

The boy was the Titan's leader, Robin, real name Richard John "Dick" Grayson, protege of Batman himself. He was without his mask, showing his blue eyes for once, and he was in gray sweatpants and a black T-shirt, wearing no shoes or socks.

Robin swung flawlessly across the small trapeze set the Titans had in their gym. The others were never sure of why Robin insisted it be put in, but for Robin...it was in remembrance. Remembrance of his parents...his past life.

When Robin landed, the Boy Wonder began to pant, realizing how exhausted he really was. His brow was glistening with sweat, and he slurped down water, gasping with relief, even pouring a little of it over his head, causing his spiky hairdo to fall down into its normal state.

Straightening up, Robin turned back to the trapeze. "One last time for today," he mumbled under his breath.

As Robin went on for another round, muffled sounds could be heard from around the corner. "Quiet!" "Move, he might see you!" "Shh!"

These were said by (in order) Raven, Cyborg, and Starfire. Beast Boy remained silent - of course, he couldn't speak as a fly anyway. The green changeling was hovering in the doorway, unseen and unheard, watching Robin work. After a few more seconds, he flew over to his other teammates and shifted back into human, landing lightly on the floor.

"He's on the trapeze," Beast Boy informed them. "And he's...good."

"Is is mask off?" Cyborg asked. Beast Boy nodded, and Starfire's eyes lit up.

"Please, Beast Boy, what color are they?"

"Blue," the changeling murmured, "somewhere between sapphire and ocean blue..."

"Well, thanks for noticing," a voice said from behind them. Starfire and Beast Boy shrieked in shock, while Cyborg and Raven simply jumped.

Robin was glaring down at them, blue eyes glistening with fury and...some other emotions. Emotions they never saw behind his mask.

"What are you guys _doing?_" their leader asked the other Titans. Beast Boy and Cyborg gulped and Starfire looked down, ashamed. Raven was the one who answered:

"We were merely curious," the empath informed Robin. "It was originally Cyborg's idea. Starfire and I were also intrigued to see what you do in these early morning training sessions. Surprisingly, Beast Boy was the only one reluctant to go...though I think it's simply because he had to get up so early."

"That's not true!" Beast Boy huffed indignantly, but Robin shot a piercing glare at him.

"Enough!" the Boy Wonder snapped. Turning back to Raven, he said, "You wanted to find out what I was doing, all you had to do was ask! I'm just working on the trapeze..."

"...Why?" Starfire asked hesitantly, Cyborg nodding as she asked.

"...I'd rather not talk about it right now," Robin said softly, looking away. Starfire opened her mouth to say more, but then closed it and simply nodded.

"...Well...I guess we're going," Cyborg said, turning and leaving the gym, Raven floating after him.

Starfire turned to her boyfriend for a moment. "Robin..." she murmured softly, "when the time is right for you...you know you can tell me anything." And with that, the Tameranean followed the half-robot and half-demon out the door.

"She really is something," Robin murmured to himself. Then he realized Beast Boy hadn't left. Robin turned to say something...anything...but the changeling wasn't there. Robin frowned to himself before shrugging, deciding the green shapeshifter had left as a fly or something. With a sigh, Robin turned back to the trapeze.

* * *

Robin had, for some odd reason, missed dinner that night. Beast Boy was curious as to why. He hadn't wanted to go snooping in the first place, for once respecting Robin's personal space, but now the shapeshifter tossed that feeling aside.

"Any of you guys seen Robin?" he asked the others, hoping one of them had seen him...talked to him. Raven and Cyborg shook their heads.

"I saw him heading for the roof," Starfire whispered. "He said he needed to...think, but to not worry about it."

Beast Boy sighed. "Thanks, Star," he said...and then he headed towards the roof.

Robin was sitting on the edge of the roof, gazing out at the sunset. His mask was still off, and his ocean-sapphire eyes were glittering with uncertainty.

"Hey Rob," Beast Boy mumbled, coming out to sit next to Robin. The Boy Wonder just blinked, and Beast Boy continued, "Need to think, huh? ...Remembering?"

"...Yeah," Robin murmured after a moment. "I'm...remembering..."

The two boys sat there for a minute, gazing out at the sunset, memories flitting through their heads.

"Robin, I know you were once Batman's sidekick, but...what about before that?" Beast Boy said suddenly. Robin shot Beast Boy a glance that was half-annoyed, half-amused.

"I can say the same about you. You were once a member of the Doom Patrol, and that's all we know," Robin retaliated. Beast Boy let out a little chuckle.

"Rob, I'll make you a deal," the changeling said. "I tell you my past before the Doom Patrol, and you tell me your past before Batman."

"...Deal," Robin said. The Boy Wonder _was_ curious to learn about the younger boy's past, and he did want to let out everything that had happened to him to...someone. Not Cyborg - the metallic teen was like his older brother, but he didn't always respect personal space or secrets. Raven...Raven would most likely understand, but the empath wasn't always the greatest listener, as she easily tuned out Beast Boy and Cyborg. And Starfire...while she was his girlfriend, he didn't feel like sharing his past with her now...though, perhaps another time...

"I was born here in the US, but when I was really young, my parents took me with them to Africa," Beast Boy told Robin, yanking him out of his thoughts. "They were geneologists, studying the differences between human and other animal genes. When we were there, we stayed in a villiage. The people were really kind to us...anyway, one day I saw this monkey while I was playing. My parents were inside out tent making lunch, so they weren't there to remind me not to touch strange animals. And this monkey was really strange - it was green. No, it was not a shapeshifter like me," Beast Boy said as Robin opened his mouth. "It was a normal monkey, aside from the color, but it was infected with the disease _Sakutia_. It's fatal...but only to humans. I didn't give it a second thought. I went to pet it, and...it bit me. Right here." Beast Boy removed his left glove to point at a faint scar on his hand. "It felt like my hand was on fire. I screamed. My parents rushed out, took one look at the monkey, and shouted...something. I can't remember what happened after that...I was blacking out. The last thing I heard was a rifle shot - my dad shooting the monkey.

"When I woke up, my parents were looking at me with worry in their eyes. They told me...what they had to do to save me. They used their untested machine on me, to combine my DNA with that of animals so that I could survive the Sakutia. Then they handed me a mirror, and I...was horrified. I used to have regular skin, dirty blonde hair, and blue eyes, you know. I used to be normal. But...the effects of the machine and the disease caused every part of me to turn green, and it caused my ears to become pointy and my canine teeth to grow.

"For a few years after that, nothing significant happened. Sure, I was shunned a bit by the villiage, but that wasn't surprising to me. Then...my mom and I were out for a walk, when she was threatened by a Black Mamba. Those snakes aren't afraid of anything, except their natural predator, the mongoose. I was so scared...I wished I was a mongoose, and then...I was. That was when we learned about the side-effects...my powers.

"Another year or two passed as my parents helped me with my powers," Beast Boy went on. "Then...we were sailing along a river...and we didn't know about the waterfall...m-my parents t-told me t-to s-save myself...a-and I changed into a b-bird...and they w-went over..."

Tears were beginning to glisten in Beast Boy's eyes, and Robin gave him a genuine, un-Robin-like hug. "Beast Boy...I'm sorry," the Boy Wonder murmured. "My parents...they died too.

"My parents and I, for as far back as I can remember, were part of our own circus act, The Flying Graysons. We were masters of the trapeze, and even at a young age I was up there performing with them. We were great...

"...Then these two gangsters sabatoged our act. They worked for this crime boss called Tony Zucco. The guy wanted to extort protection money from the circus owner, but the owner refused. Zucco had the two gangsters sabatoge the act by having them pour acid over some of the lines. Next performance, the trapeze my parents were swinging on snapped...and they fell all that way..."

It was Beast Boy's turn to give Robin a hug. "It's OK, Robin..." the changeling murmured, mostly for lack of anything else to say.

Robin pulled back, looking at Beast Boy for a moment. "Thanks, Beast Boy," Robin whispered. "You're...you're like my little brother, you know that?"

Beast Boy smiled, saying, "Yeah...you're kinda like my big brother."

"...You're also a great friend."

And Dick Grayson turned to go back into the Titans Tower, Gar Logan following close behind.

* * *

Again, a crappy-ish ending, but...I liked it. I highly enjoyed writing a BB/Rob brother fic, and I managed to get it into a category for one of Nikevi's challenges. Hope everyone liked it!


	4. Part 4: Unveiled

The next installment of the Teen Titans challenges!

This is actually a different version of the first one, Unmasked. However, this one does not feature my OC - for all those OC-haters out there! The plotline is a bit different from the original, but it is still the same concept - Robin is unmasked by his friends while sleeping, revealing he is blind in one eye.

This is Rob/Rae, but like the BB/Rob one, it is a friendshipper. The Rob/Star one everyone is probably waiting for is coming, I promise - being a Rob/Star shipper myself, I decided to save that for last.

SPECIAL NOTE: All of these (preferably) take place after Trouble in Tokyo, as you might notice Starfire referring to Robin as her boyfriend. This would have happened after the events of Trouble in Tokyo and after the series. However, the one-shots do not happen in succession to each other, and are not related to each other in any way.

Disclaimer: I don't own Teen Titans.

* * *

_**The Robin and the Raven**_

_Unveiled_

Robin's room was quiet as usual, totally dark without the lights. You could barely see two inches in front of your face. Of course, Robin preferred this, but the other Titans...

"Ow! Watch it!" Beast Boy hissed under his breath as Cyborg stepped on his foot.

"Sorry," the metallic Titan whispered, "but we can't risk using lights and waking Rob up!"

"Let's get this done with already," Raven hissed. She didn't like invading Robin's privacy, just like she didn't want anyone else invading her personal space. Still...the idea of unmasking the secretive Titan did catch Raven's intrest.

"I am...quite eager to see Boyfriend Robin without his mask," Starfire whispered as the Titans finally found Robin's bed.

"You won't get to see his eyes, Star," Beast Boy whispered to the Tameranean. "One, we can barely see as it is, and two, his eyes'll be closed, since he's sleeping."

"Oh..." Starfire sounded disappointed, and Raven surpressed a sigh.

"Alright...got his mask," Cyborg whispered, gently pulling the fabric off of Robin's face. He leaned over the leader of the team, his mechanical eye using infared vision to get a better view of Robin's face.

"Anything?" Raven asked as Cyborg pulled back.

"Normal, as far as I can tell," Cyborg murmured, "though he does have a faint scar over his left eye..."

"Dudes, let's go already," Beast Boy hissed. "Bird Brain might wake up any minute-"

The lights flicked on, causing the Titans to momentarily close their eyes and groan at the sudden brightness. When they could see, they saw what they had been dreading - a furious-looking Robin.

But Robin's eyes could now be seen, and the Titans were momentarily stunned. Robin had eyes somewhere between sapphire and ocean-blue. But one eye - his left eye, the one with the faint scar - seemed...cloudy. Unseeing. Blind.

"Robin!" Starfire squeaked as Cyborg threw the mask towards the closet behind his back, cheesily grinning. "We...um, we-"

"We're sorry!" Beast Boy blurted. He opened his mouth to go on, but Robin held up a hand.

"Save it," the Boy Wonder warned.

"Robin-"

"I said, save it," Robin reapeated as Starfire tried to interject. Her emerald eyes widened a bit, but then she solemnly nodded, looking down.

"Look...if you guys wanted me to take my mask off...you could've asked," Robin told his teammates. "I...well, there's no guarentee I'd have taken it off, but I might have."

"Oh..." Beast Boy mumbled as Cyborg did a facepalm.

"But...Robin, is one of your eyes...blind?" Starfire asked after a moment.

"Yeah," the Boy Wonder murmured. "All I'm saying on that matter is that...back in Gotham, I had a nasty run-in with the Joker..."

Starfire gasped, covering her mouth as she did so. "Oh, Robin, I am sorry...I did not mean to bring back any bad memories..."

"It's fine, Star," Robin mumbled, giving a forced smile. Then he looked at them, and frowned. "Now, it's 1:37 in the morning, and I'm still tired. Back to bed, all of you!"

Cyborg, Starfire, and Beast Boy were happy to oblige. Raven, however, lingered.

"...Would you have really taken off your mask if we had asked, Robin?" the empath asked after a moment. Robin arched an eyebrow at her.

"Why? You think I can't be trusted?"

"I don't know what to think about you sometimes, Robin," Raven replied. "You're almost as good as me with keeping your emotions hidden."

"I'm gonna take that as a compliment," Robin said, a smirk on his face. Then he looked at Raven, serious poker-face on again. "Look, Raven...I would tell you guys...anything. But only when I'm comfortable with doing it. I mean, Cyborg and Beast Boy are like my brothers, and Starfire...well, she's my girlfriend, and you...you're like the sister I never had."

Raven smiled softly at this. "Thanks, Robin," she said.

Robin narrowed his eyes at her, a smirk back on his face. "Now, c'mon, get to bed. We all need our beauty sleep."

Raven let out a chuckle, but so light no one could hear. "Goodnight Robin. Oh, and by the way...you don't have to mask your eyes all the time."

And the birds went their seperate ways.

* * *

As usual, I failed at the ending. =_= Ah well, I enjoyed writing this! I'm not a big Rob/Rae shipper, though I'm not a total hater of it - I simply like Rob/Rae sibling-ness more than romance. ^^

Until next time, guys! Oh, and Happy Thanksgiving!


	5. Part 5: Comfort

The final installment!

Well, I'd like to end this by thanking any and all reviewers, especially Nikevi, the person who started this contest. Here's to you!

I'd also like to thank anyone who faved this piece, added it to their alerts, faved me, or added me to their alerts. And anyone who just read it but didn't review...I'd like to thank you, too.

This is finally my Rob/Star piece, and where the Teen Titans take a trip to a circus. I hope you all enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Teen Titans or the song _Broken_ by Lifehouse.

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_**The Robin and the Tiger**_

_Comfort_

_"The broken clock is a comfort...it helps me sleep tonight..."_ Lifehouse's _Broken_ began to play on the radio of the car as five teenagers drove to a circus. At first, they might look like normal teenagers, but the designs on the outside of the car almost gave away their secret identities.

The Teen Titans of Jump City were inside the car under their aliases: Richard "Dick" Grayson, Garfield "Gar" Logan, Victor "Vic" Stone, Kori Anders, and Rachel Roth. On Kori's, Vic's, and Gar's fingers, special rings glittered. These were holographic rings that gave them a more normal look: Cyborg's mechanical parts were gone, leaving a normal 19-year-old; Starfire's skin was now a lighter shade, and her eyes now had white whites instead of light green whites; and Beast Boy now had peach skin, blonde hair, and blue eyes, and his ears and teeth were normal.

Raven had refused to wear a holographic ring - most of her skin was covered anyway, and her hair and face were shielded by the hood of her dark blue sweater. Most people would assume she was wearing contacts that made her eyes a shade of purple, too. Robin didn't need anything - he simply wore jeans, sneakers, and a red T-shirt, and replaced his mask with sunglasses.

Their disguised T-Car pulled into a parking space next to a field on the outskirts of the city. This field was currently the host of a circus, and Robin had asked if they could go.

"Uh...sure," Cyborg had replied uncertainly after Robin had asked. Starfire and Raven had exchanged confused glances as Beast Boy cocked an eyebrow at the Boy Wonder, while Cyborg continued, "If crime stays low, we could totally go..."

And, by some miracle, not even little robberies happened that week, and the Titans were now going to see a circus.

"This is pretty cool," Beast Boy - er, Gar - said as they took their seats: Vic, Gar, Rachel, Kori, and then Dick.

"Please, Ro-Dick, why did you wish to come to the circus?" Kori asked her boyfriend. Dick let out a small sigh.

"I just...I...wanted a little comfort," the black-haired boy murmured. Kori opened her mouth to ask something else, but was silenced by Vic.

"Shh, guys, it's starting! ...Where's the popcorn?"

The Titans sat, blending in with the crowd of ordinary citizens, enjoying the show. After nearly two hours of cheers, screams, and watching daring feats and amazing tricks, the final performance of the night - the trapeze - began.

The trapeze artists were flawless, swinging with ease as they did their act. When it ended, the circus tent was full of applause, and then everyone began to file out.

Kori turned to Dick to say something, but immediately the words were lost when she saw the wet streaks of tears leaking from the eyes behind his sunglasses.

"Dick? Robin?" Kori whispered, "What is wrong?"

Dick looked at Kori, sniffling a little. "N-nothing, Kori," the raven-haired boy sniffed. "Just...memories..."

"Oh," Kori murmured, looking towards Vic, Gar, and Rachel, who were standing and ready to depart. "Oh," the emerald-eyed girl repeated again, standing. "I...I am sorry..."

"It's OK, Star," Dick murmured, standing with her. The couple walked a little behind their other friends as they made their way to the car.

"Robin, what were you...remembering?" Kori asked softly. Dick managed a weak smile.

"My parents...my life before the Titans...before even Batman..." Dick murmured. He turned to look at his girlfriend. "My parents and I...we used to have our own circus act, The Flying Graysons...we performed on the trapeze, but one day...someone sabatoged our act. My parents...fell to their deaths."

Kori gasped, her eyes shimmering with tears. She gave Dick a crushing yet comforting hug.

"Oh, Robin..."

"Yeah," Dick managed, "yeah...but you know what? If they hadn't...fallen... I would never have met you. So...thanks for being my comfort, Star. Thanks."

_In the pain...there is healing...in your name...I find meaning...So I'm holding on._

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I thought that this was a nice little thing to do. I love the song _Broken_ by Lifehouse, and thought it fit well in this situation.

Again, thanks to all who read this story, but epescially to those who reviewed. Special thanks to Nikevi, for reviewing every part so far, for faving this story, and for starting this contest in the first place. I hope everyone enjoyed, and now that it's over, I'd love to hear your thoughts, so please review! Thanks again!

~Linzerj


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